CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

Bronco Sports News

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2005

Contact: Paul Helms

(909) 869-2812

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MEDIA NOTES

2004-05 CPP Record: 9-4. CCAA Record: 4-2

2004-05 National Ranking: 20

Broncos Look To Enjoy Its Return To Kellogg Gym: After splitting a pair of California Collegiate Athletic Association games for the second straight week, Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s basketball team will face a pair of key California Collegiate Athletic Association contests at home this weekend. The Broncos will host Cal State San Bernardino on Friday night on Pack the Gym Night and then entertain UC San Diego on Saturday night. All Cal Poly Pomona students, faculty and staff will be admitted free. The Broncos, Coyotes and Tritons are all 4-2 in the CCAA, one game behind conference co-leaders Chico State and Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Broncos are coming off their second straight conference split, losing at No. 24 Chico State on Friday night and then beating Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday. After this weekend’s home games, the Broncos will be on the road for their next four contests before returning home for a Feb. 11 game against Cal State Bakersfield. Cal Poly Pomona is coming off another outstanding season. The Broncos reached the NCAA Division II West Region championship game at Seattle Pacific and became the only Division II program to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth time in the past five years. Cal Poly Pomona also posted playoff wins over Chico State and Cal State Bakersfield, giving the Broncos 48 postseason wins, which is the most among all Division II programs. Cal Poly Pomona remains tied with North Dakota State for most national championships won (5). The Broncos won back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002. The Broncos have three starters returning, including Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona), the 2004 CCAA Player of the Year and the leading scorer in the NCAA Division II. Other starters back are Brandi Fletcher (Jr., Pomona, Diamond Ranch HS), a second-team All-CCAA forward in 2003, and Shanika Perkins (Jr., Oakland, Oakland HS).

About Last Week: The Broncos lost at No. 24 Chico State on Friday night and rebounded to defeat Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday night in Turlock. Cal Poly Pomona opened the weekend by holding the nation’s top-scoring offense to just 68 points, but still came up short against Chico State, 68-62. Chico State had entered the game averaging 94.7 points per game. The Broncos held the Wildcats without a field goal in the final eight minutes of the game while almost coming all the way back from a 16-point deficit. Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona) had 19 points, four rebounds and four assists for the Broncos, while Brandi Fletcher (Jr., Pomona, Diamond Ranch HS) had 14 points and nine rebounds. Natasha Reed (Fr., San Francisco, Deer Valley HS) added 10 points and seven rebounds. The Broncos trailed at halftime, 38-29, and fell behind by 16 points, 57-41, with 12:05 remaining. A 3-pointer by Lauren Stayton (Jr., Inglewood, Fresno State) started a 9-0 run by the Broncos that sliced the deficit to 57-50 with 9:12 to go. The Wildcats built the lead back up to 11 points before a 3-pointer by Ashley Moody (Fr., Carson, King Drew HS) started an 8-0 run that made it 63-60 with 3:22 to go. After a pair of Chico State free throws, Allen made two free throws to make it 65-62, but Chico State hit three free throws in the final minute and took advantage of a key charging call against the Broncos. Cal Poly Pomona rebounded with an 86-78 win over Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday. Allen poured in 45 points, her second-highest point total of the season behind only the 50-point outburst in a win over nationally-ranked Glenville State on Dec. 11. She also had seven rebounds and 11 steals. Allen tied a CCAA record for most free throws made in a game (20) and most free throws attempted (23). Former Bronco Lauri McIntosh and San Francisco State’s Crystal Fernandez also had 23 attempts in a game. Fletcher had another strong game with 15 points and four rebounds, while Reed had nine points and three rebounds. Shanika Perkins (Jr., Oakland, Oakland HS) had five points, four rebounds and four steals. The Broncos extended a 39-35 halftime lead to a 66-46 advantage on a basket by Fletcher with 11:15 to go and never led by less than eight points the rest of the way.

Allen Leading NCAA In Scoring Once Again: Kodak All-American Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona), the reigning California Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year, is off to a sensational start in the 2004-05 season. After leading the nation in scoring last season by averaging 24.5 points per game, Allen is leading the NCAA Division II in scoring this year at 29.7 points per game. Allen is shooting 47.8 percent from the field (129-270) and has knocked down 52 percent of her 3-point attempts (23-44). She has also made 105 of 124 free-throw tries. She leads the CCAA in 3-point field-goal percentage (52.3 percent) and is second in steals (3.38 per game). Allen has already been named the Wilson CCAA Women’s Basketball Player of the Week twice this season. She was the Co-Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 6-12. Allen set a new Cal Poly Pomona and California Collegiate Athletic Association record by scoring 50 points to lead the Broncos past No. 9 Glenville State and also had 32 points to lead the Broncos past Northwest Nazarene. For the week, Allen averaged 41.0 points per game on 54.7 percent shooting. She also averaged 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 steals. She shared the honor with Chico State guard Kim Abts, who tied a conference record with 16 assists. Allen was also honored for the week of Nov. 29 – Dec. 5. Allen scored 30 points in a 104-85 win over Sonoma State and then added 31 points and grabbed six rebounds in a 93-61 victory over San Francisco State. For the week, Allen averaged 30.5 points per game on 57.5 percent shooting (23-40). She also averaged 4.5 points, 4.0 steals and 2.5 assists for the week.

Head To Head: Cal Poly Pomona is 20-7 all-time against Cal State San Bernardino and beat the Coyotes twice last season. The Broncos defeated Cal State San Bernardino, 79-64, in San Bernardino on Dec. 2 behind 27 points from Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona). Cal Poly Pomona won again in Kellogg Gym on Dec. 13 behind 24 points from Allen. Cal Poly Pomona is 6-2 all-time against UC San Diego and won both meetings against the Tritons last season. The Broncos got 28 points from Allen and posted a narrow 84-81 victory over the Tritons in La Jolla on Jan. 9 and then beat the Tritons again, 69-59, in Kellogg Gym on March 6. Keila Beachem led the Broncos with 13 points in that one.

Let Us Introduce Ourselves: Cal Poly Pomona has several new players on its roster, including six freshmen. Sahfiya Brown (Fr., Fontana, Etiwanda HS), Ashley Moody (Fr., Carson, King Drew HS), Unique Anderson (Fr., Lake Elsinore, Temescal Canyon HS), Sasha Goldkorn (Fr., Moreno Valley, Canyon Springs HS), Porsche’ Kirksey (Fr., Gardena, Junipero Serra HS) and Natasha Reed (Fr., San Francisco, Deer Valley HS) give the Broncos one of their best and deepest freshman classes in several years. Shyrah Thomas (Sr., Inglewood, San Francisco State) joins the active roster after being a redshirt last season and Lauren Stayton (Jr., Inglewood, Fresno State) returns after one year away from competition.

Look Who’s Back: Leading the list of talented players returning for the Broncos is the California Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year, Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona). Allen led the NCAA Division II in scoring with a 24.5 points per game average. She was also second on the team in rebounding with 6.1 per game and second in assists with 2.9 per game. Allen also led the team in steals with 77 or 2.6 per game. Brandi Fletcher (Jr., Pomona, Diamond Ranch HS), who was third on the team in scoring last year with 10.2 points per game, is back and so is starting guard Shanika Perkins (Jr., Oakland, Oakland HS), who averaged 6.7 points per game. Britt Sumida (Sr., Chino Hills, Ayala HS), one of the leaders of the team, is another key returner, Alexis Wilson (Jr., Wayzata, MN, Wayzata HS) is back for her third year and Khiara Ferguson (So., Gardena, Bishop Montgomery HS) and Ge’Yanni Polk (So., San Leandro, San Lorenzo HS) return for their second seasons with the Broncos.

Where We Left Off: The Broncos completed another successful season in 2003-04 with a 23-7 overall record and a spot in the NCAA Division II West Region championship game. Cal Poly Pomona reached the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth time in the past five seasons, a total unmatched by any other Division II program. Included in that run, of course, are national championships in 2001 and 2002. Cal Poly Pomona was 17-5 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association and finished second. The Broncos, the No. 3 seed in the West Region, won its first-round game against No. 6 Chico State, 74-70. Cal Poly Pomona got 30 points and six assists from Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona) and 10 points and 17 rebounds from Keila Beachem (Sr., Chicago, Ill., University of Kansas). The Broncos then rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to beat Cal State Bakersfield, 87-84, in the second round. Beachem had a huge game with 28 points and 20 rebounds, while Allen contributed 26 points. After the Roadrunners took an 84-83 lead on a pair of free throws with five seconds left, Allen was inexplicably fouled while trying to catch an inbounds pass. She hit both free throws to give the Broncos an 85-84 lead and then, after a Cal State Bakersfield turnover, was fouled hard from behind, but picked herself up to hit two more free throws with one second left to account for the final margin. Cal Poly Pomona then fell to undefeated tourney host Seattle Pacific, 80-63, in the championship game. The Broncos shot just 33 percent. Marisa Lattin capped her Cal Poly Pomona career with a team-high 20 points, while Allen had 16.

The Thomas Guide: Paul Thomas is in his 11th season as Cal Poly Pomona’s head coach. Thomas was named the 2001-02 NCAA Division II Coach of the Year by the WBCA and by the Division II Bulletin. He was also the WBCA District 8 Coach of the Year and the CCAA Co-Coach of the Year. He has won four conference Coach of the Year awards. Thomas has a record of 213-88 at Cal Poly Pomona and has guided the Broncos into the postseason in seven out of the past eight seasons. Cal Poly Pomona has a 14-5 record in the NCAA Division II playoffs under Thomas and has won 12 of its last 13 postseason games. The Broncos have also won five CCAA titles during the Thomas years, including three in the past five seasons.

How About Those Rings: You’d be hard-pressed to find a more star-studded coaching staff in the NCAA Division II. Head Coach Paul Thomas has a pair of championship rings he earned while guiding the Broncos to back-to-back national titles in 2001 and 2002. He was named the 2001-02 NCAA Division II Coach of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association and the Division II Bulletin. Assistant coach Tasha Burnett has a championship ring she earned as a Bronco player in 2001. She tied an NCAA record by hitting all 11 of her field-goal attempts in a national quarterfinal victory over Pace University. She made the All-Elite Eight Tournament team.

Program History: The Broncos’ two postseason wins in 2004 and the back-to-back national championships in 2001 and 2002 have just added to the program’s rich history. The Broncos have the most postseason victories (48) in NCAA Division II and are tied with North Dakota State for the most national championships (5). The Broncos have also reached the regional championship game in four of the past five years, which is more than any other Division II team. Their 19 NCAA postseason appearances are second overall to Bentley and the .774 postseason winning percentage leads all Division II programs. Cal Poly Pomona has also reached the national title game eight times, has five national Player of the Year winners (Jackie White, 1983; Vickie Mitchell, 1986; Debra Larsen, 1987; Cathy Gooden, 1989 and Lauri McIntosh, 2002; five Most Outstanding Players in the NCAA Tournament (Jackie White, 1982; Vickie Mitchell, 1985; Debra Larsen, 1986; Aprile Powell, 2001; Lauri McIntosh, 2002), 36 All-American awards earned by 20 different players, 18 CCAA titles and 10 CCAA Player of the Year awards. Counting the five SCCA titles the Broncos won before joining the CCAA, Cal Poly Pomona has captured 23 conference titles.

PLAYER NOTES

2 SAHFIYA BROWN (F, Fr., Fontana, Etiwanda HS)

Last Week: DNP-CD. Is sidelined for the year with a knee injury.

2004-05: Averaging 3.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.0 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 7 vs. St. Thomas (11-20-04); Rebounds – 4 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04). Assists – None.

Career Highs: First year with Broncos.

4 CANDICE ALLEN (G, Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona)

Last Week: Had 45 points, seven rebounds and 11 steals against Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday; had 19 points, four rebounds and four assists against Chico State on Friday.

2004-05: Averaging 29.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Leads the NCAA Division II in scoring. Shooting 47.8 percent from the floor. Set new Cal Poly Pomona and CCAA single-game record with 50 points against Glenville State on Dec. 11. Tied CCAA single-game record for most free throws made (20) and attempted (23) against Cal State Stanislaus on Jan. 15. Also leads the team in assists and steals and is second in rebounding. Leads the conference in scoring, 3-point field goal percentage and steals.

Season Highs: Points – 50 vs. Glenville State (12-11-04); Rebounds – 10 at Cal State L.A. (1-7-05); Assists – 5 at Cal State L.A. (1-07-05), at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04).

Career Highs: Points – 50 vs. Glenville State (12-11-04); Rebounds – 11 vs. Azusa Pacific (11-22-03); Assists – 7 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-30-04), vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-6-04).

5 BRITT SUMIDA (G, Sr., Chino Hills, Ayala HS)

Last Week: Had three points, one rebound and one assist against Chico State on Friday; went scoreless with one rebound, one assist, and one steal against Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday.

2004-05: Averaging 2.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Is second on the team in assists and fourth on the team in three point field goals made.

Season Highs: Points – 8 at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04); Rebounds – 3 vs. Glenville State (12-11-04); Assists – 5 at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04).

Career Highs: Points – 11 vs. Pt. Loma Nazarene (11-29-03); Rebounds – 3 vs. Glenville State (12-11-04), vs. UC San Diego (2-21-03); Assists – 5 at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04).

10 ASHLEY MOODY (G, Fr., Carson, King Drew HS)

Last Week: Had three points and two rebounds against Chico State on Friday; had two points, a season-high five rebounds, one assist and two steals against Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday.

2004-05: Averaging 2.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 7 vs. San Francisco State (12-3-04); Rebounds – 5 at Cal State Stanislaus (1-15-05); Assists – 2 vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04).

Career Highs: First year with Broncos.

14 NATASHA REED (F, Fr., San Francisco, Deer Valley HS)

Last Week: Had 10 points and seven rebounds against Chico State on Friday; had nine points and three rebounds against Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday.

2004-05: Averaging 7.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Leads the team in rebounding and is fourth in scoring.

Season Highs: Points – 11 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05); Rebounds – 11 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05); Assists – 3 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04).

Career Highs: First year with Broncos.

20 SHANIKA PERKINS (G, Jr., Oakland, Oakland HS)

Last Week: Had five points, four rebounds, and four steals against Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday; had three points and four rebounds against Chico State on Friday.

2004-05: Averaging 6.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Is second on the team in 3-point field goals made (36), third in assists and fifth in scoring.

Season Highs: Points – 15 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-8-05); Rebounds – 7 Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05); Assists – 5 vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04).

Career Highs: Points – 17 vs. Cal State San Bernardino (12-13-03); Rebounds – 10 at Cal State Dominguez Hills (2-13-04); Assists – 5 vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04), vs. Chico State (1-2-04).

21 SASHA GOLDKORN (G, Fr., Moreno Valley, Canyon Springs HS)

Last Week: DNP-CD.

2004-05: Averaging 1.3 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.0 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 3 vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04); Rebounds – 1 vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04), vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04); Assists – None.

Career Highs: First year with Broncos.

22 KHIARA FERGUSON (C, So., Gardena, Bishop Montgomery HS)

Last Week: Had two points, five rebounds, and two blocked shots against Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday; DNP-CD against Chico State on Friday.

2004-05: Averaging 2.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 8 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04); Rebounds – 7 vs. Glenville State (12-11-04); Assists – 1 vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04).

Career Highs: Points – 8 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04); Rebounds – 7 vs. Glenville State (12-11-04); Assists – 1 vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04), at UC San Diego (1-9-04).

23 SHYRAH THOMAS (F, Sr., Inglewood, San Francisco State)

Last Week: Had one point with two rebounds against Chico State on Friday; went scoreless with four rebounds and one steal against Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday.

2004-05: Averaging 1.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 8 at Cal State L.A. (1-07-05); Rebounds – 5 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05); Assists – 2 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05).

Career Highs: First year with Broncos

24 BRANDI FLETCHER (F, Jr., Pomona, Diamond Ranch HS)

Last Week: Had 15 points and four rebounds against Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday; had 14 points and tied a season-high with nine rebounds against Chico State on Friday.

2004-05: Averaging 10.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.8 assist per game. Is third on the team in scoring and third in rebounding.

Season Highs: Points – 17 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05); Rebounds – 9 at Chico State (1-14-05), at Seattle Pacific (12-30-04); Assists – 2 at Cal State L.A. (1-07-05), vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04), Northwest Nazarene (12-10-04), vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04).

Career Highs: Points – 25 at Sonoma State (3-1-03); Rebounds – 10 at Chico State (2-28-04), vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-24-04), vs. UC Davis (1-3-04), at Cal State L.A. (2-7-03); Assists – 4 vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-6-04).

25 RACHEL GATDULA (G, So., Covina, St. Lucy’s Priory)

Last Week: DNP-CD.

2004-05: Averaging 1.0 point and 0.5 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 2 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05); Rebounds – 0; Assists – 1 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05).

Career Highs: Points – 5 vs. Point Loma Nazarene (11-29-03); Rebounds – 2 at

Cal State Stanislaus (1-31-04), at San Francisco State (1-17-04), at Sonoma State (1-16-04), at Grand Canyon (1-10-04), vs. Point Loma Nazarene (11-29-03); Assists – 2 vs. Grand Canyon (3-5-04), at Grand Canyon (1-10-04).

32 LAUREN STAYTON (G, Jr., Inglewood, Fresno State)

Last Week: Had nine points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal against Chico State on Friday; had four points and one rebound against Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday.

2004-05: Averaging 11.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Is second on the team in scoring, fourth in rebounding, and fourth in assists.

Season Highs: Points – 21 at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04); Rebounds – 7 at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04); Assists – 5 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04).

Career Highs: Points – 21 at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04); Rebounds – 7 at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04); Assists – 5 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04).

34 PORSCHE’ KIRKSEY (F, Fr., Gardena, Junipero Serra HS)

Last Week: DNP-CD.

2004-05: Averaging 2.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.0 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 5 vs. Western Washington (12-29-04), vs. Sonoma State (12-4-04); Rebounds – 7 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04); Assists – None.

Career Highs: First year with Broncos.

40 UNIQUE ANDERSON (G, Fr., Lake Elsinore, Temescal Canyon HS)

Last Week: Went scoreless with three rebounds, two assists and two steals against Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday; went scoreless with two rebounds and one assist against Chico State on Friday.

2004-05: Averaging 2.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 8 at Cal State L.A. (1-07-05); Rebounds – 6 at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04); Assists – 2 vs. Western Washington (12-29-04), vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04), at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04).

Career Highs: First year with Broncos.

42 GE’YANNI POLK (G, So., San Leandro, San Leandro HS)

Last Week: Went scoreless in limited action against Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday; DNP-CD against Chico State on Friday.

2004-05: Averaging 1.0 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 4 vs. St. Thomas (11-20-04); Rebounds – 2 vs. St. Thomas (11-20-04); Assists – 1 vs. St. Thomas (11-20-04).

Career Highs: Points – 4 vs. St. Thomas (11-20-04); Rebounds – 2 vs. St. Thomas (11-20-04), at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-24-04); Assists – 1 vs. St. Thomas (11-20-04).

54 ALEXIS WILSON (F, Jr., Wayzata, MN, Wayzata HS)

Last Week: Had four points, one rebound and one steal against Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday; went scoreless in limited action against Chico State on Friday.

2004-05: Averaging 1.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.

Season Highs: Points – 7 vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04); Rebounds – 4 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05), at Cal State L.A. (1-07-05), vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04); Assists – 1 at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04).

Career Highs: Points – 7 vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04); Rebounds – 4 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05), at Cal State L.A. (1-07-05), vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04), vs. San Francisco State (2-20-04), at Sonoma State (1-16-04), at Western Washington (12-28-02); Assists – 3 at UC San Diego (1-9-04).